Muang Ngoi Neua
Encyclopedia
Muang Ngoi Neua is a Lao
town along the Nam Ou
in Louangphrabang Province. It is part of Ngoi district 170 kilometres North-East of Luang Prabang
.
The current population is about 700, and of Lao Loum
ethnicity.
The town is an old Tai Mueang
and was heavily bombed during the Laotian Civil War.
of Ngoi district. The name was changed to Muang Ngoi Neua (Muang Ngoi North) to reflect population shifts that occurred in Ngoi district during and after the civil war. Muang Ngoi now includes the joined towns of Nong Kiau and Ban Saphoun, 40 kilometre to the south. The town is also referred to as Muang Ngoi Gao (Old Muang Ngoi).
River. The current town dates from the 15th century and is the old district capital.
In 1713, Chao Intasom, son of the first king of Luang Prabang, halted his army in Muang Ngoi to prepare for an attack on his nephew Chao Ong Kham, who succeeded the king. It was here that the two nephews came to an agreement and decided to share the throne together.
In 1892, shortly before the incorporation of Laos into French Indochina
, there was a military station with 25 soldiers which served as a frontier post of Siam
During the Laotian Civil War there were Pathet Lao
forces stationed in a cave near Muang Ngoi. The town was uninhabitable for over 2 years due to the threat of bombing raids by the Royal Laotian Air Force, forcing hundreds of villagers to relocate to a nearby cave.
by American supplied and Thai piloted bombers. On the site of one of the destroyed temples the current Wat Okad temple was rebuilt in the end of the 70's.
It is also possible to walk to little-visited surrounding villages for lunch - the nearest is Ban Na about an hour away beyond the caves. There are two other villages further afield on the same route.
It is also possible to take boat trips further up the Nam Ou River.
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
town along the Nam Ou
Nam Ou
The Nam Ou is one of the most important rivers of Laos. It runs 448 km from Phongsaly Province to Luang Prabang Province. Along with the Mekong, the Nam Ou is the only natural channel suitable for large-draft boat transportation. Near its confluence with the Mekong are the Pak Ou Caves,...
in Louangphrabang Province. It is part of Ngoi district 170 kilometres North-East of Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang
Luang Prabang, or Louangphrabang , is a city located in north central Laos, where the Nam Khan river meets the Mekong River about north of Vientiane. It is the capital of Luang Prabang Province...
.
The current population is about 700, and of Lao Loum
Lao Loum
The Lao Loum is an official Laos PDR designation for lowland dwelling Tai peoples, including the majority Lao people. The Lao Loum, literally meaning "lowland Lao," are the inhabitants of the river valleys and lowlands along the Mekong River and make up over 68% of the population of Laos, of...
ethnicity.
The town is an old Tai Mueang
Mueang
Mueang were historical semi-independent city-states or principalities in present-day Thailand, Laos, parts of northern Vietnam and the Shan State of Myanmar. Smaller Mueang were subordinate to more powerful neighboring Mueang, which in turn were subordinate to the central king, as described in...
and was heavily bombed during the Laotian Civil War.
Name
Historically the town is known as Muang Ngoi, Capital or MueangMueang
Mueang were historical semi-independent city-states or principalities in present-day Thailand, Laos, parts of northern Vietnam and the Shan State of Myanmar. Smaller Mueang were subordinate to more powerful neighboring Mueang, which in turn were subordinate to the central king, as described in...
of Ngoi district. The name was changed to Muang Ngoi Neua (Muang Ngoi North) to reflect population shifts that occurred in Ngoi district during and after the civil war. Muang Ngoi now includes the joined towns of Nong Kiau and Ban Saphoun, 40 kilometre to the south. The town is also referred to as Muang Ngoi Gao (Old Muang Ngoi).
History
One of the earliest Tai principalities in Laos was centered at Muang Ngoi. By the 12th century AD there were settlements in the area that were part of a chain of Tai Mueangs along the Nam OuNam Ou
The Nam Ou is one of the most important rivers of Laos. It runs 448 km from Phongsaly Province to Luang Prabang Province. Along with the Mekong, the Nam Ou is the only natural channel suitable for large-draft boat transportation. Near its confluence with the Mekong are the Pak Ou Caves,...
River. The current town dates from the 15th century and is the old district capital.
In 1713, Chao Intasom, son of the first king of Luang Prabang, halted his army in Muang Ngoi to prepare for an attack on his nephew Chao Ong Kham, who succeeded the king. It was here that the two nephews came to an agreement and decided to share the throne together.
In 1892, shortly before the incorporation of Laos into French Indochina
French Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
, there was a military station with 25 soldiers which served as a frontier post of Siam
During the Laotian Civil War there were Pathet Lao
Pathet Lao
The Pathet Lao was a communist political movement and organization in Laos, formed in the mid-20th century. The group was ultimately successful in assuming political power after the Laotian Civil War. The Pathet Lao were always closely associated with Vietnamese communists...
forces stationed in a cave near Muang Ngoi. The town was uninhabitable for over 2 years due to the threat of bombing raids by the Royal Laotian Air Force, forcing hundreds of villagers to relocate to a nearby cave.
Temples
All three Buddhist temples, with the oldest dating back to the 16th century, were destroyed during the Vietnam warVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
by American supplied and Thai piloted bombers. On the site of one of the destroyed temples the current Wat Okad temple was rebuilt in the end of the 70's.
Tourism
The town is a popular tourist destination because of its surrounding karst limestone mountains and is the starting point of Eco-tourism treks. Notable sights include the Tham Kang cave and Tham Pha Kaew cave north of town which were used as bombshelters during the Vietnam-war era. Every 10 days there is a regional market where tribal villagers come to trade.It is also possible to walk to little-visited surrounding villages for lunch - the nearest is Ban Na about an hour away beyond the caves. There are two other villages further afield on the same route.
It is also possible to take boat trips further up the Nam Ou River.